SB 10.14.58 – Taking Shelter of Lord Krishna’s Lotus Feet

Giriraj Swami:

TRANSLATION

For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This translation is taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Two, text 51.

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, this verse summarizes the knowledge presented in this section of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are described as pallava, flower buds, because they are most tender and of a pinkish hue. According to Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, the word pallava also indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are just like desire trees, which can fulfill all the desires of the Lord’s pure devotees. Even exalted devotees like Śrī Nārada, who are themselves the great shelter for the conditioned souls in this universe, personally take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus it is natural that when Lord Kṛṣṇa manifested Himself as all the young boys and calves of Vṛndāvana, their parents were more attracted to them than previously. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure and, being all-attractive, the ultimate object of everyone’s love.

COMMENT

So, in this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Brahma became bewildered by Krishna’s appearance as a cowherd boy. When Krishna was having a picnic in the forest with His cowherd boyfriends, Lord Brahma could not believe that Krishna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In fact, Krishna was, of course, as it is to be a cowherd is not a very exalted position in ordinary terms, and when Krishna was eating, He was holding His food in His left hand. He wasn’t even holding it in His right hand.

So, Lord Brahma became bewildered, and he stole away all the cowherd boys and calves. So, for one year, Krishna expanded Himself into a duplicate set of cowherd boys and calves in every respect, exactly like the cowherd boys and calves who had been taken by Lord Brahma. And for that one year, which was only a moment in Lord Brahma’s time, the parents of the cowherd boys and of the calves felt more love for their offspring than before. Previously, they loved Krishna more than their own offspring, but now they loved their offspring as much as they loved Krishna because actually, they were Krishna.

And towards the end of that discussion, Srila Śukadeva Gosvami explains that everyone is most dear to oneself, one’s own self is most dear to oneself. But why is oneself most dear? Because that individual soul is an expansion of the Supreme Soul. Actually, for most people, they love their bodies more than anything. They don’t even know that there is the soul within the body. So, they love their bodies more than anything else, and then they love the expansions of their bodies, their children, spouses, relatives next. But they love their own bodies most.

So, either they love their bodies because their body is an expansion of the soul, it’s built upon the soul. And then why do they love their soul? Why is the soul so dear to them? Because it is an expansion of Krishna, the Supreme Soul. And so, Krishna is the supreme lovable object, and that was demonstrated during this one year when the cowherd boys and calves were expansions of Krishna.

So, Srila Śrīdhara Swami says that this verse that we just sang summarizes the knowledge of that section in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And of course, the poetry is very beautiful and this phrase mahat-padaṁ can be translated either as the shelter of the cosmic manifestation, which is the mahat, or the shelter of great souls, who are also mahat. And those great souls themselves are the shelter for many other souls. And as Srila Prabhupada paraphrased the verse once, the material world is like an ocean and there is danger at every step, but for one who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna, that great ocean shrinks to the size of a puddle contained in the hoof print of a calf. Although there is danger at every step, a devotee crosses right over it. Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna.